Homeschooling

Most Topular Stories

In order for a person to have power, he would need some powerless folks to lord over. Let's look at the relationship between the Medieval Lord and Surf. The serfs worked the land in addition to doing extra work for the for the lords in exchange for food and protection. The land, the wealth, and the army belonged to the Lord. Meanwhile, the Noble Lord death with prayers, politics, and sometimes fighting. There was often evening entertainment. Without the work of the serf, the lord would not be able to maintain is more cushy, though often more stressful life. Bring that to…

1.Comparing.I believe that the root of all evil is comparison. When you find yourself about to do the "is my child keeping up?" or "her child is better at piano then mine, and they're the same age," just stop. Don't do it.When you look at another unschooling mum and back at yourself and feel that you fall short, don't go there. Rather, allow her to inspire you; don't feel down.2.Believing that everyone should agree with you.This is the attitude of any newbie. I remember how militant I was when I first became a vegetarian (I no longer am-a vegetarian). I couldn't tolerate people…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

Fork in the Road The other day, in a moment of grief, looking down at the ground in deep thought, I walked right over this pitiful fork. It was at the edge of the driveway next to the waste container the garbage truck had emptied, limb missing and shattered down the length of her body. She called for my camera to recognize her brokenness. This misshapen fork was me. We had something in common. Something cracked and missing. A need. Pain. I got to thinking about how similar we were and how somebody designed that fork and she had just been trying to serve her purpose, but something had gone…

Huck came to me with How to Read a Story by Kate Messner and Mark Siegel. “Mommy, will you be my reading buddy?” (That’s Step 2 in the book.) Why of course I will! He starts reading me the book. And then, halfway through, only a few pages after the sneaky video I took below, he…stopped reading out loud. Got sucked into the story and read silently for the first time. Thanks to this charming picture book, I got to be there for the moment of transition. It was magical. And yes, since he’s my youngest, a little bittersweet–the last one to cross the bridge to…

Fork in the Road The other day, in a moment of grief, looking down at the ground in deep thought, I walked right over this pitiful fork. It was at the edge of the driveway next to the waste container the garbage truck had emptied, limb missing and shattered down the length of her body. She called for my camera to recognize her brokenness. This misshapen fork was me. We had something in common. Something cracked and missing. A need. Pain. I got to thinking about how similar we were and how somebody designed that fork and she had just been trying to serve her purpose, but something had gone…

I don’t know about you, but I am overjoyed that I have a mansion just over the hilltop. Sundays may not be perfect all of the time (rarely), but I feel so blessed to be able to rub shoulders with other saints on Sunday. I love my church family and being around other Christians. They make our walk so much lighter and easier in this life. I love singing the old familiar songs – and reading the history behind them. I love our preacher’s lessons and the passion he shares for the Word. I love taking communion and knowing that my brothers and sisters the world over are sharing in…

I got some really good advice at an Apologia Homeschool Conference a few years ago … and you’ll have to forgive me for paraphrasing it from memory, but it went something like this: “If you don’t celebrate your life, who will? And if you don’t celebrate and have fun and ENJOY homeschooling… will your kids?” Wow. Let that sink in a bit, homeschool mama. I know it gets difficult in those trenches, but how often are we lamenting our lot while the sun is shining and those little ones are watching us frown? I challenge you (and always myself, too –…

This post is more of a journey through homeschool planning over my entire homeschooling career than a review, but in the end, I did come down to two planners to review – and I mentioned a few others and my experiences as well. If you don’t want the details behind my planner journey, you can scroll to the bottom to read a review between two very popular spiral-bound homeschool planners that I have used the past two years. For the rest of you, who don’t mind my chatter, pull up a chair and bring your favorite drink and snack. This could take a chunk of free time to read…

Have you ever been just sucked into such a whirlwind that you felt you were doing good just to make sure your teeth were brushed and all the urgent things of life tended to? Like you were on a wild ride that kept you twirling? Sort of like this guy: Yep. Well, that’s what life has been like for me for a while now. January 2015 has been a speeding bullet. I have missed being able to pause and write about life, because lately I’m doing good just to live it as it corkscrews by. Here’s my pictorial memory bank of January 2015… Benny, Dentist, Mindy, Tony Evans In January,…

Huck came to me with How to Read a Story by Kate Messner and Mark Siegel. “Mommy, will you be my reading buddy?” (That’s Step 2 in the book.) Why of course I will! He starts reading me the book. And then, halfway through, only a few pages after the sneaky video I took below, he…stopped reading out loud. Got sucked into the story and read silently for the first time. Thanks to this charming picture book, I got to be there for the moment of transition. It was magical. And yes, since he’s my youngest, a little bittersweet–the last one to cross the bridge to…

Louisa by Isabelle, grade 5 • Melted at the artwork and poems created by the three classes of fifth- and sixth-graders who welcomed me to the Greater San Diego Reading Association’s annual Authors Fair. • Read aloud the last chapter of The Prairie Thief to a roomful of eager fifth-graders. Such a delight. I so seldom get to read the end of the book to a school group—I don’t want to give anything away! Exceedingly fun to discover the teacher had been reading the book to the class and saved the finale for my visit. • Had a marvelous time swapping book suggestions with the…

Join Fox and Crow and me for Storytime at Carmel Valley Library in North County Saturday, March 14 at 4pm! Authors Virginia Loh and Sid Shapira will also be reading from their books tomorrow afternoon (check with the library for their event times).

Ours is in bloom this very day, as it happens “Our Christmas cactus has predictably bloomed each December for three decades and some years when it has been colder for longer, as is the case this year, it often blooms more than once a year. Our Christmas cactus is alive and growing 365 days of the year, most of which it is rarely seen by me but only looked at.” That’s Owen Swain in his post “Blooming Cactus / blooming an illustrated life / and, what I learned in Sketchbook Skool.” In his drawing of the cactus, he includes a quote which sent me immediately dashing…

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

Susan is hosting this month's Carnival of Homeschooling at Corn and Oil.She starts the carnival with:----------Welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling – March Madness. Homeschoolers could relate to the sense of madness we feel at times fussing over our children’s well-being and education. NCAA basketball is another frenzy starting the middle of this month. St. Patrick’s Day is one week from today and three days later, spring is officially sprung. This sort of madness can be fun and reflective.----------Enjoy!

One of the things that I like most about homeschooling is that my children are not artificially constrained by “grade level” academics. In a typical school, the children with advanced academic development are constrained to go along with the class. Children with a slower (and often normal) academic development are pressured to “perform” above their current capabilities. A few lucky children in the classroom match the academic expectations, at least in some subjects. It is a rare occasion for a child to perfectly match the classroom demands in all subjects…

I like Justin McBrayer's column titled: Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts.He makes several good points. He starts with:----------What would you say if you found out that our public schools were teaching children that it is not true that it’s wrong to kill people for fun or cheat on tests? Would you be surprised? I was. As a philosopher, I already knew that many college-aged students don’t believe in moral facts. While there are no national surveys quantifying this phenomenon, philosophy professors with whom I have spoken suggest that the overwhelming majority of college…

In order for a person to have power, he would need some powerless folks to lord over. Let's look at the relationship between the Medieval Lord and Surf. The serfs worked the land in addition to doing extra work for the for the lords in exchange for food and protection. The land, the wealth, and the army belonged to the Lord. Meanwhile, the Noble Lord death with prayers, politics, and sometimes fighting. There was often evening entertainment. Without the work of the serf, the lord would not be able to maintain is more cushy, though often more stressful life. Bring that to…

New research confirms that black students excel when they are taught by black teachers. Interestingly enough, three years ago, a different study contended that the race of children doesn't matter. The way I see it, each of these statements is true... and also false.I have observed through personal relationships, and/or just plain observation that a child will be who you set in their mind they will be. If you tell a child he is stupid, he will act stupid. If you say a child is bad at math, she will continue to be bad at math. Children are very open to suggestion. This is just part of the…

The Complete Works of Shakespeare ... Abridged! I made 2 and altered the rest. A guy is playing the women's parts!Gertrude (made with no pattern)Lavina (also made with no pattern)OpheliaJulietCleopatra I am still working on the nurse costume... and kilts for Macbeth! So if you are wondering why I haven't produced any art work in a while... here's why.

This was the exact thought I had when I decided to homeschool my kids...and the sentiment is growing, especially among African Americans. Black families have become one of the fastest-growing demographics in homeschooling, with black students making up an estimated 10 percent of the homeschooling population. (For comparison’s sake, they make up 16 percent of all public-school students nationwide, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.) And while white homeschooling families traditionally cite religious or moral disagreements with public schools in their decision to pull…

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

Happy Weekend, my friends! And thank you all for your wonderful comments as I passed my nine year "blogiversary." You are all very kind! :) It is a busy week ahead as we wrap up Lent ... I am going to try to keep things in perspective as we head towards Good Friday, but it is hard when you're the one hosting the holiday! There's so much to do, bake, clean and prepare! Today though, I thought I'd share my April planning notes with you all, since the change is upon us this week, too ... the new month arrives on Wednesday! April is ... * National Poetry Month * Autism…

Happy Sunday, my friends! It's hard for me to believe, but it was NINE years ago today that I started this little blog! And this was the very first picture I posted - a few days later once I figured out how to post photos, lol. I have to laugh at myself a little as I look back at those first posts and pictures - I remember feeling so timid about my writing and my photos were so tiny! Through the years I've written about so many things - my kids, our home, the seasons, my faith, food, education, tea, books and ... oh yes, calendars! I've written a time or two about calendars. ;)…

Good Thursday morning, my friends! It's the Feast of St. Joseph! As per our annual tradition, I baked donuts this morning for the boys, and BOY does the house smell good! These are buttermilk-pumpkin donuts with a little brown sugar topping. So easy to whip up, very quick to bake ... The recipe is here, if you'd like to check it out! Enjoy your day, and thanks for stopping by! See you here again very soon ...

(A feast day recap. 🍀 The Feast of St. Patrick is a very special day in my calendar, because I am both Irish and Catholic! In the past we have done all kinds of things to celebrate this holiday, but we're still getting back in the groove slowly around here, so I kept things pretty quiet. But I thought you might like to see some of the refreshments and enjoyments that filled our day. :) My Gram's Irish china was a must, even if I was the only one partaking (read - handling the china). (Next year make note - invite friends to tea on St. Patty's Day!) In the morning…

(Flashback) Feline Friday! One of my favorite photographs of "the boys," it was taken when they were very young. And it was recently chosen to appear on a local feline rescue group's annual thank you card! My friends, I'm sorry to have been MIA for so long ... it's been a very long week of illness here but we finally are on the mend. It was just a cold/cough virus - though a particularly nasty one that felt very much like flu. We were all down and out (even the baby) for a while! But I'm quite glad to say we are over the worst of it and feeling better every…

Here is a non-recipe for unstuffed cabbage. Start with: one pound ground pork; half a can tomatoes, frozen; 2 cups rice and lentils, frozen.Add in: half a bag leftover shredded cabbage.Brown the pork and stir in the rice and lentils.Layer in a casserole with tomatoes and cabbage. I used too much cabbage so it ended up a little soupy but still tasty. Add salt and extra seasonings if needed.Sprinkle with paprika. I also added a cupful of tomato sauce on top (not in photo). Bake at 350 degrees until heated through and cabbage is cooked.Casserole out of the oven.Eat with rye bread.

We have only four days of school this week. These are a few of the highlightsBeyond Texting: Chapter 2, opening up to others. "You have to take communication risks to reap the relationship rewards."Does the Bible really have authority? (article from MB Herald)Seeing the Mystery, finish chapter 5: How have artists depicted the agony of Christ's suffering?Continue King Lear, Pilgrim's Progress, Life of Timoleon, Hamilton's Mythology.Next chapter in The Seashell on the Mountaintop.Finish Exploring the History of Medicine.Picture Study: Paul Kleeo Twittering Machine (1922)o…

What is up around here? Besides spring coming?Today was the local homeschool conference. Some years I have done workshops, but this year I was just an attendee. It is a good chance to see friends and get a look at how the world of homeschooling is going. Lydia went with me this year for the first time. She got lots of freebie pens and things, and found a purple Bible she liked for half price.Mr. Fixit has been busy working on his fixing and selling. Did you know there are still people out there who like CB radios?The Apprentice has been busy working out of town, but she will be here for…

"First of all, the art of living; then as my ideal profession, poetry and philosophy, and as my real profession, plastic arts; in the last resort, for lack of income, illustrations." —Paul Klee.(Gualtieri Di San Lazzaro, Klee. Praeger, New York, 1957, p. 16)

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

I went from a spiritual desert to a Torah fire hydrant this year! After twenty-five years studying Jewish roots on my own, God blessed me moving one mile from Seed of Abraham Fellowship lead by Tom Bradford. TorahClass.com Tom Bradford teaches through the Bible chapter by chapter he doesn’t skip a word. You can have these teaching ...

This is a photo of our Passover plate. It has a prominent place of display in a glass cabinet in our living room.I believe it is the one item in our home that the children will remember the most. It is my favorite holiday. Passover begins April 4, 2015. The Passover meal is called a Seder. ...

I love teaching my children. I like reading to them, talking to them, asking questions, seeing things from their viewpoint, watching them discover. There was I time I didn’t love homeschooling–because I was swimming in fear and worry. But the years have passed and God has proven to me that He is sufficient and I ...

Passover begins sundown April 4, 2015. Here are links to several Passover crafts to help you teach your children the Passover story. Some link to Christian sites, some to Jewish sites. You may want to bookmark this site and come back as I am adding to the list. Follow me on Pinterest for more holiday and ...

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

We are now enrolling the spring session of the PBH Master Class. It runs from April 6 through May 15 (six weeks) and costs $125. Please go here to read the detailed class description, testimonials from former students, and enroll if you are interested. We’ve already done early-bird enrollment so space is limited! If the timing isn’t right for you, you can join the early-bird announcement list for the next class. (No dates have yet been set. We may teach another class this summer or we may wait until fall.) Thank you, and please feel free to e-mail me with any questions!

Dear Principal Jones, teachers, school board members, and parents, My name is Carrie Smith. I'm here to disrupt your school. People have been telling me for years that I shouldn’t be homeschooling — I should be improving the lives of all kids, not just my own! This year, it finally sank in. We’ve been homeschooling for 10 years and hoo boy, I think we’ve tried it all! Montessori, classical, unschooling — you name it, we tried it. That’s what you do when you love your kids, I guess — you just keep fiddling with the recipe till you find what works. And now you’ll all benefit!

It’s called DIY for a reason. Wired published a story Homeschooling Only Deepens Silicon Valley’s Rift with the Rest of Us and I responded with the following rant on Twitter: [View the story "No one’s going to DIY that for you" on Storify] I love kids and I love great educators and I want great schools for ALL kids. But anyone who thinks it’s easy — or even doable — for one family or even a group of families to waltz in and disrupt their local school is … incorrect. If I had the power to walk into my local school and change how they are doing things to how *I* think things…

I was going to share this on Facebook but decided I wanted a permanent place on the blog for it, so I can reference it again and again. Think of this applied to school — and then to family. — Max De Pree’s Twelve Questions to Leaders Does what I do count? Does what I do make a difference to anybody? Why should I come here? Can I be somebody here? Is there for me any rhyme or reason here? Can I “own” this place? Do I have any rights? Does coming here add any richness to my life? Is this a place where I can learn something? Would I show this…

Blythe uses the 3D printer Please enjoy this fantastic win today shared by Nicky Serrano and her daughter Blythe! I wanted to share a huge win my 11-year-old daughter Blythe has had at her local Maker’s Guild. I am hoping we avoided most of the pitfalls Lori mentioned in her post What’s Wrong with DIY/Maker Faire/Hacking/Tinkering for Kids — and How We Can Make It Better. Blythe decided in May that she wanted to make a 3D printed dog collar that lights up automatically at night, and that she wanted to exhibit it at the World Maker Faire (both things completely her idea). She found her…

I recently bought yet another cookbook, on the recommendation of several readers at my regular blog. The book is Extending the Table. It follows the same format as an old family favorite, The More With Less Cookbook, by Janis Longacre, whose husband wrote the forward for Extending the Table. Although I disagree with some of the theology, most of the politics, and much of the nutritional advice sprinkled throughout the books (they call for reducing fats and proteins, and substitute margarine for better and suggest pulling the skin off the chicken), I really like these books, very much. The…

Fascinating: A microbioligist and a medieval scholar got together and tested an old Anglo Saxon remedy for the eye sty. It seems it could be extremely effective on MRSA. The whole thing is pretty cool, but two things really stood out to me: They had to hope for the best with the leeks and garlic because modern crop varieties are likely to be quite different to ancient ones – even those branded as heritage. For the wine they used an organic vintage from a historic English vineyard. Modern crop varieties are likely to be quite different? What’s that? Modern plant crops might…

Several years ago, we kept hens, and we had a surplus of eggs. We could sell our eggs to others for a dollar a dozen (it was several years back). Or we could get between 12 and 24 dollars a dozen if we pickled them first and sold them at one or two dollars an egg. My husband pickled them and sold them to a bar in town, and to his co-workers, hence the different prices. The bar paid a dollar, the co-workers paid two. Pickling eggs did not take very much time, and it did not cost us a dollar an egg to pickle them. Directions and recipes here. We added value for the customer, and that increased…

Click to enlarge. Set paper orientation to landscape, margins to .5 For some tips on how to use these (or other sentences) for copywork, see here. I chose the sentences I chose with two views in mind. One was, did the words evoke any kind of picture in the mind- even so simple and homey a picture as a dish of cold potatoes in a little girl’s hands. The other was, do these sentences include practice in the sorts of skills a grade two child required to take mandated state test might see on such a test? That would include things like quotation marks, the three basic…

There are slightly more than two dozen free printable copywork pages from Aesop’s Fables here. The selections are suitable for first or second graders who have mastered their letter formation skills. With possibly one except, the stories I used for these copywork pages are the ones assigned in term one of AO, but you don’t have to use AO to find value in copying sentences from Aesop’s Fables. To save space, I just posted the partical images here- thumbnails. Right click, then select ‘open in new tab’ and then print or save the image to the file where you store…

Ramona and I finished our read-aloud of Anne of Avonlea. We read it only over breakfast on the days when Anne and Betsy could join us, so it took awhile, but it was worth it to once again share a book about "that Anne girl" with all of my girls. Such fun, and made for a delightful start to our day.***Also recently finished a read-aloud of The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop. Fun, adventure, and interesting ethical issues to discuss. ***Read-aloud in progress: The Cottage at Bantry Bay. It's Hilda van Stockum ... need I say more?***Twenty and Ten,…

Winter does, sometimes, leave me bowed down in heart. But, spring -- o lovely spring! -- is here. Even in Nebraska. And I am ready to "come away to the peaceful wood" and be restored.Deep in the Quiet Woodby James Weldon JohnsonAre you bowed down in heart?Do you but hear the clashing discords and the din of life?Then come away, come to the peaceful wood,Here bathe your soul in silence. Listen! Now,From out the palpitating solitudeDo you not catch, yet faint, elusive strains?They are above, around, within you, everywhere.Silently listen! Clear, and still more clear, they come.They bubble up in…

This is a re-post from when Anne-with-an-e was younger:~~~~~When Anne-with-an-e was much younger, she was very sensitive. A picture of Jesus on the Cross could reduce her to tears. Singing certain hymns would leave her spent. The idea of forty days of sorrowful mysteries drained her. I sometimes wondered how someone so little could feel things so deeply.Lent became a difficult time.I, being an enthusiastic convert, looked forward to doing everything I could during Lent to challenge myself. But, I realized that my vision of Lent and the Lent I needed to provide for my tenderhearted daughter…

Karen Edmisten‏Karen_EdMe: I'm gonna get a snack before we start math. Are you hungry for anything? Ramona: I'm hungry for freedom. From math.Karen Edmisten‏Karen_EdMe (to Ramona last night, helping her brush through her long hair): "Wow, where did all these tangles come from?" Ramona: "Life."Karen Edmisten‏Karen_EdRamona: "What's for dinner?" Me: "Stromboli." Her: "Why didn't you tell me that before, when I was in a bad mood?!" Duly noted, child.

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

There’s a dirty little secret many Bible-reading and God-fearing women are harboring. It has taken up residence in the smallest spaces of our hearts and has planted seeds there. And from its snug position, it grows quietly and spreads stealthily. Its toxic roots fan out carrying unpleasant thoughts, fostering attitudes of ingratitude, and tainting the […] The post Jolted By Jealousy appeared first on The End In Mind.

We’ve all met this person! Let’s call her….The Self-Induced Martyr. Description: takes on responsibility because no one else can do it as well as she does believes that she is always being taken advantage of believes that she is constantly being overlooked believes that no one has as hard a life as she does talks constantly […] The post How to Successfully Develop a Martyr’s Complex appeared first on The End In Mind.

All of us have experienced the encouragement of an outstanding teacher! The opposite is also true of what we have all experienced at the hands of a teacher who truly did not belong in the classroom. In today’s episode, Danielle and I are discussing the power of words, inspiration, mentorship, expectations and consistency as demonstrated […] The post Lessons Learned from Good and Bad Teachers appeared first on The End In Mind.

With the current educational emphasis on learning standards for academic areas with the concomitant benchmarks to keep track of progress, I think the emphasis on frequent testing has overshadowed the purpose of education. I have friends who are teachers in public and private school settings and they express frustration not only at the number of […] The post Whose Standards? appeared first on The End In Mind.

I think one of the most difficult lessons to learn in this world is to be content with the way God made us, and not to compare ourselves to others. It’s especially difficult in a world that is so visible. We all know media, books, magazines, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and blogs can be wonderfully […] The post The Reality of Comparisons appeared first on The End In Mind.

This is technically the fourth one being done in our house since we learned of the scrap-ghan concept from my friend Amy. :-) This is the one my daughter did. She is much better at crocheting and counting stitches and all of that and so she added in some ripples, which is cool. Also, she added in a row of white or very light yellow quite often, which kind of changes the whole vibe from

I have gotten behind this week, it seems in everything. I've been expending a great deal of emotional energy on something and when I do that, it seems to sap my physical reserves as well. This has led to a lot of crocheting and art journaling getting done this week and not a lot of anything else. So on Friday, for example, I got up and did my 4 hours of annoying medical transcription work,

Youngest son and I were talking about school yesterday. He says that he thinks Wednesday is his best day of school because on Monday and Tuesday he's resenting that he's back in school for the week, kind of and then Wednesday he's into it and then Thursday comes and he starts thinking about the coming weekend .... It's funny because to me, what he does on the weekend and what he does during the

I was asked to review this book for Family Christian stores and it surprised me how good it was. Here's the review I wrote. I love to read but I am very picky about my fiction. Oftentimes I come home from the library with a stack of nonfiction books because I just couldn't find any good fiction. I kind of surprised myself by getting interested in the description of this book and then when I got

It's in the Dr. Seuss book "Oh The Places You'll Go". I'm in it right now. It's not my favorite. :-( I am extremely frustrated with my job right now as it is annoying and depressing (think about typing psychiatric admission notes for children as young as 4!!!) and it seems to pay less every week. Right now, in my job, I'm waiting for work to come in. It's so frustrating and I think

Math Mammoth Percent is a worktext (with both instruction & exercises) that teaches students the concept of percent, how to calculate the percentage of a number, to figure discounts, sales tax, and interest, to draw circle graphs, to differentiate between a percent of change and a percent of comparison, and to know how to calculate both.The text is suitable for grades 6 through 8 (middle school).This book has been now updated to include many new lessons that will ALSO be in the upcoming Math Mammoth grade 7-B. This means that you can use it to continue pre-algebra studies after 7-A.See…

Someone asked me a question about kindergarten mathHello! Is there a placement test to see if a child is ready for 1A? We went over the kindergarten review and she did well with that, but I'd hate for her to get started and then discouraged. Is there a kindergarten curriculum that you'd recommend? My goal has been to not do anything formal for kindergarten math, but she wants it and is ready. Thanks!That is indeed a valid concern. Sometimes children start with Math Mammoth 1-A and there's one topic there that can become a frustration point if the child is not ready for it. It's the topic of…

I just got word about a new review of Math Mammoth, from Kate's Homeschool Math Help. The owner, Kate, has written helpful reviews and buying guides for Math Mammoth, Singapore Math, and RightStart Math. She also has lots of other tips for teaching math or choosing a homeschool math curriculum on her site. Kate says, "I'm a math educator turned homeschool mom. My mission is to help homeschool parents hone their teaching skills and teach math with confidence."Her Math Mammoth review is here.

This is a neat video, showing how to calculate the value of Pi using real pies (yum!). It might help your youngsters remember the definition of Pi better as they remember the visual pic of pies around the big circle and pies going across. :) Remember also that Pi day (3/14) is upon us soon...

I've posted on my site a beginner video lesson on square roots. You can also watch it below: Finding a square root of a number is like finding the side of a square when the area is known. Square root symbol acts as a grouping symbol: anything under it is in parentheses and is solved first. I also solve a few problems involving area & perimeter of squares.I hope it's helpful!

#1. Make an Easter Garden When You Need a Garden Getaway in the Middle of Holy Week So the thing is, back there in the beginning, we all had this shattering fall in a garden. And we mark it on the calendar, Christ, falling in the garden of Gethsemane. Christ, righting our messy fall. So the kids and I, we put our hands into dirt, and we remember our garden fall and His garden grace, and we make a Grace Garden for Easter. How to Make a Grace Garden for Easter This is what we did: We gathered 1. a basket, some dirt, 2. some plants at the nursery, a beginning too, 3. tramped to the woods for…

A few weeks ago, I meet this farmer with beat-up hands, 9 miles southwest of Bethlehem. He asks me what I do. I tell him I’m a farmer’s wife, daughter of a farmer, grand-daughter of a farmer — yeah, farmers are about the only thing our family tree has ever known. (Well, that, and a whole mess of ridiculously crazy kids — and fruit. We are praying that somewhere along the line, yeah — that there might just be a bit of actual, edible fruit.) To get to the guy’s field, I have to push through this herd of goats straggling down the road. While I’m pushing through goats…

you and I, let’s do lunch: the best restaurant views around His world smiling and heart bursting happy at this they’re available for adoption: this dog photo booth you really must see! <grin> Mom creates surreal silhouettes of her kids using only…. her iPhone despite a large contract, this baseball pitcher is still choosing: a very simple life unlikely cuddling buddies? [surprise an unsuspecting someone with a hug today?] lost — but now found multigenerational photos – at 101 years apart! Really. the wonder of this – second eagle hatches in…

It’s been a hard, hard week — make that couple of weeks. And then yesterday, I succumbed to a high fever, and have had much time to reflect on suffering, and what that looks like in places around the world that don’t have easy access to medicine or healthcare — or even a bed. It breaks my heart to know that almost 300,000 women die each year in developing countries because of complications due to pregnancy. Thankfully, dozens of thought-leaders have heard the pleas of mothers and children in developing countries and are raising their voices to inspire a movement to…

She’d said it brave into the camera, the liquid of her heart brimming like light in her eyes: “I feel like I’m a kid at a party, whose Father said it’s time to leave and go Home already….. And I am not afraid of dying — I just don’t want to go.” Her wondrous little boy, Lake, had curled into her in bed and he had looked into her eyes and whispered: “I don’t want you to go…” Kara hadn’t wavered, she was 38 years old and the mother of 4 children, dying of cancer, and she hadn’t looked away — She nodded and stroked his cheek with the palm of her hand, like…

Technology can transform learning into real life, relevant experiences.Not too long ago, it was absurd to say that every Tom, Rashid and Baba should have access to the Internet. For what? Now, since 2011, the United Nations considers it a human right, "underscoring its unique and transformative nature not only to enable individuals to exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression, but also a range of other human rights, and to promote the progress of society as a whole."And while access to technology is not "the great equalizer," that Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals…

1.Comparing.I believe that the root of all evil is comparison. When you find yourself about to do the "is my child keeping up?" or "her child is better at piano then mine, and they're the same age," just stop. Don't do it.When you look at another unschooling mum and back at yourself and feel that you fall short, don't go there. Rather, allow her to inspire you; don't feel down.2.Believing that everyone should agree with you.This is the attitude of any newbie. I remember how militant I was when I first became a vegetarian (I no longer am-a vegetarian). I couldn't tolerate people…

Thank you CBC for the article entitled ‘The 7 things kids need to succeed: Character traits include grit, self-control and social intelligence.’This piece is based on the work of journalist and author Paul Tough, ‘How Children Succeed—Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character.’There were a few thoughts that immediately popped in my mind when I read the article. The first thought was ‘how do we define success?’ I appreciated the mention of what ‘becoming successful adults’ means, according to Tough and that is ‘being successful in achieving their…

Happy New Year! I have to be honest, I have neglected my blog, but I promise, I will post weekly from now on, even if that means reposting (it likely will until things slow down in a few months).In the mean time, check out my latest article in the Hamilton Spectator on failure; a reflection for the new year.Jan 12. 2015http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story/5251292-failure-is-the-new-winning/Hamilton SpectatorBy Beatrice Ekwa EkokoA running joke in our family goes that growing up, we were supposed to be born knowing how to do things well. At the family's "haute couture" tailoring establishment,…

I had the pleasure of presenting at Hamilton's Function Keys 2 Conference last month. My presentation was entitled 'Open-source learning: education from a wider community perspective, technology, and culture.' For the occasion, I developed 16 Cs of Open Source learning and here they are:karlsson on the roofCharacteristicsCuriosity CreativityCoolness ChallengeComplexityContextConversationCollaborationConnection Contribution Examples of Open Source Learning:Community and Communities of PracticeCrowd accelerated Innovation (‘cycles of improvement’ driven by…

New description of first thoughts on "Service," second on the right, Parvine Shahid:http://sandradodd.com/service (addition to existing page)Memories related to TV viewing, featuring writing by Karen James, instigated and reported by Ronnie Maierhttp://sandradodd.com/t/memories (new page)Philosophy, kids, banking, death, omnipotence and The Simpsons http://sandradodd.com/strew/simpsons (page updated, cleaned up)the photo is a link

I got tired of making Thinking Sticks and I can't ship them overseas anymore without crazy-high shipping costs. Until I get around to making online randomizers, I'm sharing the word lists and directions. You don't need to use sticks and sharpies; there are other options. Some suggestions are in his first link:Instructions in English and in FrenchHere is an introduction with links at the bottom to lists in French, Dutch and German and four English lists: American, British, Canadian and Australian. http://sandradodd.com/thinkingsticks

These topics sound negative, as a group. Coincidence.Not new, but never announced, it seems. (And some recent additions.)http://sandradodd.com/judgmentFailure (to get unschooling, to support or maintain it)http://sandradodd.com/failureNice new bit about self-regulation, from Sarah Carley Thompson, second from the bottom http://sandradodd.com/self-regulationClick the photo for lighter ideas.

Word-art and a quote (me, from a post otherwise not worth saving) added here:http://sandradodd.com/mindfulofwordsHow support for change is better than support for people remaining the same (new, second item)http://sandradodd.com/support/problemSome thoughts about "free rein" (not "free reign")http://sandradodd.com/freereinphoto by Chrissy Florence, and it's a link

The learning curve of unschoolers has a plateau in the middle, it seems. Don't worry.http://sandradodd.com/learningcurve.htmlNew, near the bottom, about the game Snakes and Ladders (and its purpose and history, with a new image):http://sandradodd.com/game/snakesandladdersVideo added, to go with the song lyrics that have been there for ten years and some, about rules/principles:http://sandradodd.com/benrulesphoto by Colleen Prieto, of Robbie with a hawk, and it's a link

I will write a review without spoilers. I did it before for Faith, a.k.a. The Great Doctor (which I've now watched three times through, and the good parts more than that).But first I want to go back and talk about my resistance and acceptance of some other types of art.Seven years or so back, I wanted to watch some anime, so I asked Joyce Fetteroll for a recommendation. She suggested Fruits Basket (Don't read that if you want to watch it without knowing the plot.) I loved it! When I tried other series, they were just okay, not as sparkly, not as engaging. But I was happy with what I learned…

The first bit of this video, especially the blinky eyes at 1:20 is a great match for Bruno Mars playing Devyn the Intern at Pandora here. While they're similar in stills, they're just about identical in motion and posture. It's a fun comparison. And if you haven't seen that SNL sketch with Bruno Mars, please do before it's gone again.All the images are links.Here's what these guys look like without being disguised as dweebs: Bruno Mars (hard to find a photo without hat or shades) and Ji Chang Wook

Peter Serafinowicz read the letter David Bowie wrote to me aloud, in a sort of concert of letter readings, and it's been more than a year. I never heard of it. I was looking for something I'd written about Kirby and Marty playing with friends when they were very young, and somehow in the google search this came up:Letters Live, a review, was posted in December 2013. She wrote "Peter Serafinowicz giving life to David Bowie’s adorable letter to Sandra Dodd, his first self-proclaimed US fan who wanted to start a fanclub" It's awkwardly worded. I had no idea I was his first American fan. He…

Originally posted on facebook, February 10 at 8:25pm but I want to be able to send it and look back at it myself. The facebook link is leading to the photo.I just watched THE best program I've ever seen in my whole life. I don't say that lightly. Bummer it's not in English. Alex Polikowsky told me about it last May, and I was "ho hum, don't care." Don't be that way, then, people who read this.ALSO don't read about it. You don't want to know what's going to happen. LOTS of things will happen. It's on Hulu plus, and (Alex says) another place or two. Maybe YouTube, I don't know.I watched the…

THE current home schooling laws have created a "hidden population" of children which is impossible to monitory, officials in Glasgow have warned. For those who are registered - around 58 in Glasgow - education officials are only required to contact families once a year, to monitor progress and this can take the form of a written report from parents.

A Detroit mother was arrested Tuesday after the frozen bodies of a boy and girl were found in a deep freezer in the family's home, police said. Court officers found the children's bodies while carrying out an eviction order at the 3-bedroom home in the apartment complex just east of downtown.

When Mendocino County education and student government leaders met with Leadership Mendocino Class XXII in Fort Bragg, they were asked how the 3 R's fit into 21st century school curriculum. &#x201c;Now they stand for research, relevance and [r]opportunity,&#x201d; answered Jason Morse, Mendocino Unified School District Superintendent.&#xa0;Chuck Morse, Fort Bragg Unified School District Superintendent, added, &#x201c;Relevance means offering a variety of career paths, not just for the college bound.&#x201d; Fort Bragg High School offers career pathways for Culinary Arts,…

Despite his experiences as a teacher and lecturer, John Holt became the leading spokesman for the home schooling movement in the US, publishing a magazine called Growing without Schooling for parents teaching their children at home. It was his books, How Children Learn that first introduced me to the idea of home education while doing a maths PGCE in the early 1990s.

‘Revolutionary’ Feature Film Created by Homeschoolers to Open in Theaters … – Christian News Network Christian News Network 'Revolutionary' Feature Film Created by Homeschoolers to Open in Theaters …Christian News NetworkA family-friendly feature film made largely by homeschool graduates will be coming to hundreds of theaters next week, possibly breaking the record for the largest on-demand theatrical opening. “Beyond the Mask” is a $4 million production scheduled to …

Oklahoma City Storm homeschool team’s McKae Mitchell doesn’t let lack of a … – Tulsa World Tulsa World Oklahoma City Storm homeschool team's McKae Mitchell doesn't let lack of a …Tulsa WorldOKLAHOMA CITY – Track practice can be a lot of work for McKae Mitchell. And that has little to do with the running. A sprinter for the Oklahoma City Storm homeschool team, Mitchell doesn't have a track to call home — except for the street in front of …and more »

For Homeschooled Students in PA, a Change in the Evaluation Process – 90.5 WESA For Homeschooled Students in PA, a Change in the Evaluation Process90.5 WESAThey are two of about 21,000 children who are homeschooled in Pennsylvania. Lightfoot made the decision to homeschool her children when her oldest of four was about to go to school. A teacher, she didn't like what she saw in schools and felt that …

Concern over home schooling – Glasgow Evening Times Concern over home schoolingGlasgow Evening TimesUnder the current law, parents are not required to register their children for home schooling. For those who are registered – around 58 in Glasgow – education officials are only required to contact families once a year, to monitor progress and this can …

In my ongoing effort to stay home and write more/travel less (and as part of my continual unhappiness with home education conferences), I’m trying out the online conference scene. This summer, I’ll be giving three sets of mini-sessions (three workshops each) as part of the Well-Trained Mind Online Conference series. Have a look: This Isn’t as Easy as I Thought, Beyond Elementary School, and A Plan for Teaching Writing. These conferences, which are sponsored by the Well-Trained Mind Academy, are an effort to give parents solid academic training without any other agenda.

The first big industry review of The Story of Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory, just came out from Kirkus! “A bright, informative resource for readers seeking to understand science through the eyes of the men and women who shaped its history.” Read the entire review here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/susan-wise-bauer/the-story-of-science/ And, in case you didn’t know, the Well-Trained Mind Academy is offering a one year history and philosophy of science course, based on the book!

And here it is. If you’ve have had, or now have, your student(s) part- or full-time in a classroom situation. were you able to use any resources/techniques/ideas from home schooling to help you customize your child’s situation? In what ways did the idea of a parent-directed education make you able to take charge of the classroom setting? Or the reverse–did you decide to take a more hands-off approach? For a long time, I’ve heard from “afterschoolers” who use the Well-Trained Mind approach to do one or more subject at home in addition to a traditional school…

Julie from Trinity, NC, home schooling this year for the first time and using classical methods Debbie from Florida, mother of two girls, aged ten and eleven Tabitha from Florida, a reader of The Well-Trained Mind Jennifer from Alabama, home schooling mom of three Janie from Texas, a “decade-long fangirl” Sheila from Victoria, who blogs at Greenridge Chronicles Susie and John, “adjunct faculty and former homeschoolers, classical education fans and wannabe homesteaders” Congratulations! You should see those galleys early next week. And thanks for playing, everyone.

I am so grateful for everyone who posted to the galley give-away contest, and I wish I had many more copies to distribute! I did dig up a couple more, so we drew eight names from the 776 comments below (778 total, one was from me, one was a duplicate). An email has gone out to the winners, and as soon as we get confirmation from all eight, we’ll post the results. ADDENDUM: If you entered, check your spam folder! I’m still waiting to hear back from a winner or two. And for the rest of the entries…I really want to give everyone SOMETHING! Stay tuned and I’ll arrange a…

Been pondering on this:Is it better to be:in a low standards school where high grades are easily doled out and the learning is questionablein an alternative education school where the student does not thrive and the structure is too low for that student so it appears not a lot is being learned (very much like unschooling for those who are not internally driven)in a rigorous school where the structure is tight and the fit is right where learing is a struggle and Cs and Bs are the grades achieved (even after tutoring)If learning is the true goal it seems to me a rigorous right fit school with…

Today I had a conversation with my younger son about initiative in school. It was stated in his report card that he did not use the rubric in the school handbook for writing "The Big Essay". It is a philosophical question such as, "What responsibility does an individual have to society?"I said when the school gives a rubric it is the key to knowing the expectation to the assignment that makes it clear how to earn an A grade or lower grades. By using the rubric as a guideline the work has to expand and to change and in doing that process the student cannot help but learn and grow. So to follow…

I have been thinking about the activities and education of this Milennial generation. It seems to me and others that these kids are learning more, doing more, and also learning about and perfecting skills and abilities through training with great success. I have come to the conclusion that the reason they are thriving is due to having access to more opportunity to learn and develop things that are completely trainable (a sport) or are partly inborn ability (voice). The access to money to pay for lessons and teams and tutors helps individual kids be more productive.I have a friend who has a…

In the last few months something has shifted. I thought I was doing well eating healthy. I am gluten-free. Don't eat wheat. I did increase grain consumption to 2-4 servings a week. Alcohol is 0-2 most weeks with 4 as the max. Since alcohol is grain based I count that toward the grain. I honestly do not eat much that is baked. I don't eat gluten-free breads other than sometimes once a month if I havea gluten-free bun or half of the bun at a restaurant only because to be able to eat a GF Cuban sandwich was too tempting.I am also struggling to eat after getting braces on my teeth. Just the…

I am about to enter a new era of my parenting journey. For the first time in fifteen years I will not have a minivan as my vehicle.My current minivan is at 145K miles and is seven years old. Four years ago right after the move it had three major repairs totaling $3K within one month. We just had the oil changed and the oil pan fixed at $450. Now the electrical system is glitching and that estimate is $800. We knew a second go round of major repairs would arrive someday and the plan was when it started, it was time to let it go.The other minivan lasted me eight years and we got rid of it at…

Just noticed this in the North Hills, WV town ordinances: BUSINESSES WITHIN THE TOWN * NO PLACES OF BUSINESS OR TRADE CAN BE CONSTRUCTED OR PERMITTED IN THE TOWN. THE SNACK BAR AT THE NORTH HILLS SWIM AND RACQUET CLUB IS EXEMPTED. Don’t even think of opening that lemonade stand, kids.

[R]efusing to vaccinate your children is not “personal choice” but public irresponsibility. You no more have the right to risk others by failing to vaccinate than you do by sending your child to school with a hunting knife. Vaccination isn’t a private choice but a civic obligation. — Nicholas Kristof

I got notice last week that homeschooljournal.net will be closing down and I’ll have to move my blog to somewhere new. I’ve begun transferring it over to WordPress, but the blog name Magic and Mayhem is taken and there are a million little things going wrong. So in the meantime, I will blog here, and when I have the time and energy I’ll do my best to set up the new one for when I’m out of time to post here any longer. I’ll be sure to post the new address and give lots of notice once I get it just a little less messed up over there.

This blog address is moving, things are getting packed up on here and headed over to this site: this colorado adventure. (thiscoloradoadventure.wordpress.com) Thanks to homeschool journal for hosting my blog on their site for so long, since 2007!

…. it’s looking like it’s time to move. Many, many thanks to Ron and Andrea for the years of hard work and dedication to the homeschool journal site. You guys are awesome. You can now find Woodstone Prairie here: http://ourwoodstoneprairie.blogspot.com/ Please come and visit me there.

After a great deal of thought, we have decided to shut down HomeschoolJournal. We would ask that anyone who wants to save their content do so before April 30th, 2015. If you would like to keep blogging, we recommend migrating to WordPress.com. Just go to Tools -> Export in admin and save the file. This gives you a file to import at wordpress.com. If you need help with this, we’d be willing to lend a hand. We do thank you all for the support shown over the years, and wish you all the best of luck.

My camera and I tend to hibernate in the winter, when the temperature is low and the scenery bland. But spring’s arrival brings mild temperatures and fresh sights sure to lure us outdoors. Here are four compelling reasons to dust off your camera and get out there and shoot! Capture Spring’s Blooms While They Last Beautiful blossoms usher in the spring, but many disappear too soon. Here in the southeast I watch for the daffodils first, followed by the cherry blossom and the dogwood trees, just in time for Easter. You can find beauty and interest even in the weeds, like the white puffball…

I stay pretty busy and I’ll bet you do too! Life can be crazy hectic and sometimes we just need a break. I take my entertainment seriously and I thought it would be fun to share more often about movies, music, Netflix and Amazon Prime offerings, and podcasts, both picks and pans. Maybe you’ll discover something fresh and new and by all means, feel free to share your own recommendations! Movies Cinderella (PG) – I have fond memories of the original animated version of Cinderella. It released on VHS when our oldest son was little and we watched it a lot. My 15-year-old…

My first instinct was to use a photo from a couple of weeks ago for this month’s desktop calendar, when the world was covered in ice, until my girls came in from walking the dog this morning and said it feels like spring. Spring! And we’ve still got the soggy remains of last week’s snowman’s clothes lying in our front yard. Your calendar is a day late because I’ve been busy busy busy finishing The Gift of Friendship, which will be next year’s follow up to The Beauty of Grace. I may be just a teeny bit biased, but I believe you will love this book. Lately…

My daughter and I slip into the welcome center just minutes before closing time. We’ve driven my son back to school in Mississippi, and this is the final state line to cross on our journey home. As we race back to the car, I giggle like a child, focused more on getting out of the biting wind than looking like an adult. We drive past the last parking spaces and picnic tables and spot a little brown dog, red collar around his neck, watching us go. I stop, back up, and pull into the last space as my daughter gets out and goes to help him, but the little guy races away from her and across the…

Yesterday I attended an event sponsored by Wellspring Living, an organization who helps victims of DMST (domestic minor sex trafficking) by giving them the courage to move forward with their lives and the confidence to succeed. They help restore lives. You might think sexual trafficking exists only in third world countries, in places far from your own backyard, but you’d be wrong. This modern form of slavery robs young girls of their lives and freedom and Atlanta ranks as one of the major hubs in this country. Girls as young as eight years old, with an average age of 14, are being…

By Leah Courtney History is a subject that I loved in school, but it seemed as if we focused heavily on American history and only lightly touched on World History in any of my classes. Even the classes that were supposed to be World History-focused were not very deep. So as a homeschool teacher, I’ve really enjoyed being able to study this aspect of history in more depth. Last year we used Ancient Civilizations and the Bible from Diana Waring’s History Revealed. This curriculum is designed to be used with the whole family. It covers the time period from creation through the birth of…

By AK Fielding Recently, I decided to take a leap of faith and self-publish my children’s book. If you have ever tried to get a children’s book published, you know that it is considered an extremely difficult market for authors and illustrators, especially if you are trying to publish your book for the first time. I always feel there are two ways to deal with difficult situations: give up or get working. As you can imagine, I decided to get working. Although this article is aimed towards writers and children’s book illustrators, the points listed below apply to anyone who wants to…

By Jenny Stephenson “Homeschooling Around the World” has been such a fun blog column to write and this month I have some super exciting news to share with you! As you know, we’ve been studying different countries as a family; learning about culture, history, and missionaries of the past; discovering present ministries happening in each country; and adding in some fun recipes and crafts that relate to each country. This month we’re focusing on Indonesia, and I have a wonderful resource for your family. I just returned from the Christian WorldView Film Festival in San Antonio last week.

By Lisa Barthuly Lemon essential oil is so all-purpose that I’m not sure I can limit my list to just ten uses! Lemon essential oil uses a cold-pressed extraction method from the rind and takes about 3000 lemons to make 1 kilo of oil. I love the uplifting, invigorating, citrusy lemon scent and the results from this powerhouse oil are amazing! Lemon is antifungal, anticancer, antiviral, astringent, antiseptic, and a tonic. I use lemon essential oil daily; it’s one of those “foundational” oils that does almost everything! Add a couple of drops to a glass of water to refresh, detox, and…

By Lisa Holcomb A slow cooker can be a life-saver for many busy moms. When you are rushing here and there with kids, teaching lessons, feeding babies, etc. you don’t always have time in the evenings to get a meal ready. I’ve listed some tips to make using your slow cooker easier and safer. One aspect of cooking and preparing food is cleanliness and food safety. The following are things to keep in mind when preparing food: You should also wash your hands in between handling meats and vegetables because raw meats may have bacteria that may be transferred to vegetables. Since you might cook…

Hello all, Not that we are against the bunnies and chocolate, but I am having trouble finding any cute crafts based on the bible (resurrection). I am not really into having the kids paint big bold stained glass crosses or anything. I am not really sure what I am looking for. I had them paint canvases with fun cute colors (kindof modern art) and am going to read the story of Jesus' death and resurrection and let them pick their favorite quote about the resurrection. We will cut the verses out in strips and stick it on their canvas and stick other things on there. Kindof like those mixed media…

I'm switching to A Beka Phonics (and possibly Arithmetic). On the websites to order product I can't really tell what is necessary and what isn't. I will have one starting K, one in first and one in second. Trying to do my two oldest together, but I think my oldest it getting ready to soar and my middle one isn't quite ready to move up. So tell me what I need, what you liked, what worked... as far as teachers guides, workbooks, etc. I feel like there is a lot offered but I'm not sure what to buy. Handbook for Reading? Spelling and Poetry? Language? Ugh. So hard when you can't look at it in…

We love teaching textbooks, we have a 14 yr old dyslexic son. I am looking for programs like this for Science or History. Where you watch a lesson and answer a few questions, or even where you just watch a lesson. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hello All, Hope all is well in the lands of homeschooling! I have been wanting to write this message for you all for quite some time but the words never came. First, let me just start by saying I am a huge supporter of homeschooling and I applaud you all for the incredible job you are doing! I haven’t been able to homeschool for financial reasons though. I have recently gotten a job as a teacher aide for a local school district and I am truly frightened for the future. The things I have heard and seen just dumbfound me. I am sure that the teachers are doing what they can with what they have…

I went from a spiritual desert to a Torah fire hydrant this year! After twenty-five years studying Jewish roots on my own, God blessed me moving one mile from Seed of Abraham Fellowship lead by Tom Bradford. TorahClass.com Tom Bradford teaches through the Bible chapter by chapter he doesn’t skip a word. You can have these teaching ...

This is a photo of our Passover plate. It has a prominent place of display in a glass cabinet in our living room.I believe it is the one item in our home that the children will remember the most. It is my favorite holiday. Passover begins April 4, 2015. The Passover meal is called a Seder. ...

I love teaching my children. I like reading to them, talking to them, asking questions, seeing things from their viewpoint, watching them discover. There was I time I didn’t love homeschooling–because I was swimming in fear and worry. But the years have passed and God has proven to me that He is sufficient and I ...

Passover begins sundown April 4, 2015. Here are links to several Passover crafts to help you teach your children the Passover story. Some link to Christian sites, some to Jewish sites. You may want to bookmark this site and come back as I am adding to the list. Follow me on Pinterest for more holiday and ...

Currclick is having their annual Easter egg hunt for freebies and their sale starting today until April 7! The sale includes discounts of 10 – 60% off regular prices on both resources and live classes. Plus there will be an egg hunt with 10 Easter-themed freebies hidden behind blue, pink, green, and yellow Easter eggs. Hunt the CurrClick site to find the hidden Easter eggs. We can’t tell you exactly where they are, but here are the freebies that will be offered when you click through the 10 hidden Easter eggs: Here Comes Peter Cottontail Lapbook by Hands of a Child…

Celebrate Pi Day with these Activities March 14 is coming quickly! Make your plans now to celebrate math with Pi Day using some of these neat resources, books, and ideas. We have links to tons of websites with activity suggestions for all grades. We also have a list of books that you can read and follow up with notebooking pages or lapbooks. We have started out our day with headbands. On the front of the headband we attached a triangle resembling a slice of pizza pie or a circle resembling a whole pie. The kids colored in their favorite pizza or pie. Then wrote the word “Pi”,…

Abraham Lincoln Mini Unit Study Primary Ages Read Abe Lincoln’s Hat by Martha Brenner – your child can read to you or you can read aloud. Meet Abe Lincoln by Barbara Cary As your child narrates to you the events of the story, you can write it for him/her on a notebooking page to place in a notebook. (See notebooking page links you can choose from below.) You can have your younger child listen to some of the reading suggestions listed below for the older child and have them narrate to you events from these stories as well, while the older children write their own narrations. Make a…

Well, down here in the South Bo (our groundhog) predicted Spring is right around the corner and to celebrate we are offering our Spring Nature Study and More and our Nature Study, Nature Journals, and Poetry Through the Year ebooks for 50% off! Spring Nature Study and More : Normally $6.50, now $3.25 Buy Now Using Nature Study, Nature Journals, and Poetry Through the Year : Normally $14.95, now $7.50 Buy Now Currclick is also having their Winter Whisper Sale with 20 publishers offering their items at 50% off! This event also includes Eight Freeebies worth over $26! So dust away the winter…

Look at the bottom of this post for a special discount coupon code to use to add something fresh to your homeschool routine for the second half of your school year. Maybe beat some of the winter duldrums or cabin fever that hits about now! Be sure to share this offer and coupon code with your friends by clicking on one of the social media buttons below! Here is a great offer by Notebookingpages.com for some free Valentine’s Day and President’s Day notebooking pages and crafts: Valentine Notebooking Pages, Foldable Cards/Envelopes, Recipe Cards & Labels Presidents’ Day…

In an effort to reduce truancy in Brown County, Wisconsin, police officers are enforcing the county's 1998 daytime curfew ordinance. You will find WPA's information helpful should you be approached by anyone asking questions. If a police officer questions you, WPA suggests you follow these general principles: • Stay calm and be polite. • Know and exercise your legal rights. • To protect your homeschooling freedoms, civil rights, and privacy, do only the minimum that is required to avoid having the situation become more serious. • Make sure any young people who will not be accompanied…

We mentioned last time how helpful it is to have some resources to assist you in making new acquaintances and getting to know them better in nature study. Today we’re happy to announce two new resources designed to do just that: The Pond and Stream Companion and Learning about Birds with Thornton Burgess. Both companion […] Two New Nature Companions originally appeared on Simply Charlotte Mason.

We talked last time about the benefits of spending time outside—how it cultivates reverence for God, respect for others, and renewed focus on life. Some of you may have felt annoyed at the reminder. Some of you avoid spending time outside because, to be honest, you find it irritating. How do I know? Because I […] Making New Acquaintances originally appeared on Simply Charlotte Mason.

The promise of spring is in the air. Lately we’ve had a few days that were warm enough to invite us outside for a refreshing walk. Here in Georgia I’ve even spotted the first brave daffodils in various yards, turning their bright faces toward the sun. Spring is an ideal time to get outside. Charlotte […] The Quiet Schooling of Nature originally appeared on Simply Charlotte Mason.

Twenty years ago when I started homeschooling, one of the first resources I latched onto was Practical Homeschooling magazine. I loved reading the “A Day in the Life” diaries from other homeschool families and getting a peek into what their days looked like in their homes. The product reviews were so valuable for letting me […] 2015 Reader Awards and Convention Schedule originally appeared on Simply Charlotte Mason.

If you’ve been around Charlotte Mason homeschoolers for any length of time, you have most likely heard the term “spine” book. While it may seem like such a term would refer to a type of science book, it’s actually more likely to be used for history. Let’s take a few minutes to make sure we’re […] Getting the Spine Book Straight originally appeared on Simply Charlotte Mason.

Hi Everyone,Well the south definitely had snow this year. The month of March brought some new experiences to Texas. Our snowman was taller than a ruler! It was a childhood dream since the age of five to build a snowman taller than a ruler and I did that with my younger daughter this year. Now time to prepare for Backyard Gardening 101 in the Homeschool. There are affiliate links in this post. Ideas that may be a great fit for your little learner. You decide. Now the past few weeks we have been growing our green beans, lettuce, yellow squash, and more inside and waiting…

I've been getting the question, "What is a Boogie Board?" So here is the answer. Some of you might not know but there are some affordable resources out there for homeschoolers. Grandparents remember using the chalk board in the classroom and using for just about every subject from Grammar to Government. Now there is no need for Chalk. Today there is the an LCD Writing Pad and found around the price of only $30. Do mathematics calculations, practice handwriting, write answers to simple reading comprehension questions, practice spelling, have your child draw a…

Hello again!Have you ever seen your child's face when something you ordered has come in the mail? Good old fashioned snail mail. It's a mystery box and it has your child's name on it. What could it be? Here are two programs that are great for kids learning to read and for those that have mastered the art of reading. Animal Trackers Club is for pre-readers ages 3-6. Space Scouts is for six and up. Choose the monthly plan or the 3, 6, or 12 month plan. Start now in March or plan for an interesting summer with the 3 month plan. Does your child want to be an Animal…

Hello fellow Homeschoolers,This Blog Post will contain ideas for how to start this year out successfully. No more "But Moms" or "I have to go to the bathroom" escape plans for the kids will be heard. Its time to take all reading material out of the bathroom.Affiliate Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this blog post. Start week one with a list of concepts you want to cover for each topic in your homeschool. Take each item on that list and expand with ideas of how to teach that concept using some point of interest your child has that fits into your daily…

The doTerra Intro Kit doTerra was created back in 2008 by medical scientists committed to sharing the life-enhancing benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils. The Intro-Kit (Lemon, Peppermint, Lavender) provides an affordable way to integrate essential oil usage in your life and enhance personal wellness.Lemon Essential OilExtraction method: Cold Pressed/ExpressedTherapeutic GradeWHAT IS CPTG? CERTIFIED PURE THERAPEUTIC GRADE Source - http://everythingessential.me/AboutOils/CPTG.html Five ways Lemon helps you clean around the house. I got experience points using Lemon to clean as a…

No-Nonsense Style and Take it Easy Approach The other day I presented my grades, credits, and transcripts class for a group of homeschoolers. The positive […] Need more help homeschooling high school? Check out www.TheHomeScholar.com to learn more.

Your Children Can Help Pay Their Way Through College Does the thought of paying for college scare you? Your children can help pay for college, […] Need more help homeschooling high school? Check out www.TheHomeScholar.com to learn more.

Homeschooling Your Way to College Do you need some encouragement for today? Listen to my radio interview by Melanie Wilson of the Ultimate Homeschool Radio […] Need more help homeschooling high school? Check out www.TheHomeScholar.com to learn more.

Provide colleges with the information they need! Going beyond the transcript can improve your chance of earning scholarships. A transcript may be the cornerstone of […] Need more help homeschooling high school? Check out www.TheHomeScholar.com to learn more.

Moving can mean a lot of change, but it can be good change! There are some things you can do to help your child make […] Need more help homeschooling high school? Check out www.TheHomeScholar.com to learn more.

Our parents had given us a good education, a good family and a good circumstance but the only responsibility of us is to get a perfect job on our own. Job is not a big deal whoever wants job can get it but the person should have hard work. Hard working person will get success where ever he goes but along with hard work one should have a percentage of smartness because smart people can finish the work easier and faster. So how can we act smarter in getting job? The simple way is to choose the technological option called internet. every day when you surf for a job in internet you may get more…

Spam is very efficiently subordinated to the web. In case you are working on the web, it is a given truth that you can be caught in the danger of spams. In later years, it has been disturbing numerous net clients and has been introduced on the World Wide Net since time immemorial. There are different routes in which for this annoyance kind of mail to be posted on the net. For the most part, they are posted through messages and their regard in to army, it sent daily. There are different media and discussions where spams will be posted especially on those destinations with nasty connections.

A condominium in Myrtle Beach provides a ton of living room, valuable for single visitors and vast gatherings, in the similar way as folks. The charges for these condominiums are planned to be such that they may be efficiently managed. Indeed, the money that you requisite to pay for a condominium at Myrtle Beach Condos for auction are peanuts matched with the money, which you will pay for residing in an inn room. The individuals who own these condominiums are very thoughtful and they validate that everybody who halts at one of their condominium facilities gets to pleasure in his or her trip…

Music is all about your creativity. If you are a music composer, you know how important it is to create unique beats to make your music hit. It is the beats that grab the attention of the audiences. But for the amateur musicians who hardly have enough funds to compose music or want to get the job done in minimal costs involved, it is not possible for them to hire music studios and pay for the professional musicians and instruments. Gone are those days of conventional music recording and sound mixing. With the development in technology, now you can just record music and create your own beats…

The advertisement are everywhere, on the Internet, TV, and even in your inbox, continually telling you how several of people have lost profound quantity of body fat in number of days, weeks, merely by making use of fat burning add-ons. These advertisements display the before and after image of what we faith are common people just like use, displaying their new and enhanced trim body. Nevertheless, is this actual, or conversely, is it only a lot of image trickery and publicity? Many confusion bounds these claims furthermore it turns out to be hard to make a knowledgeable choice. These…

If you’re looking to get more organized with your homeschool lessons, the Lord Heritage program: HomeSchool Office, is an online program that can help you plan your school year. This review will help you decide if you’d like to get more organized with HomeSchool Office. The homeschool planning program works on the motto of POWER: P – Plan […] The post Get Your Homeschool Organized with HomeSchool Office appeared first on Living Life and Learning.

These toddler activities are perfect for teaching your toddlers about colors and they’re super simple and frugal to put together. These Easter eggs were purchased for $1 from the dollar store and they have provided a lot of fun for my little one. These eggs are bright and colorful so of course my kids were […] The post Toddler Activities with Easter Eggs appeared first on Living Life and Learning.

If you’re looking for a way to make math learning fun then GPAMATH from GPALEARN is a great math program to consider. My son is in love with any thing that had to do with video games so when I saw that the program incorporated games into teaching then I knew he’d like the program. And I was […] The post GPAMATH review appeared first on Living Life and Learning.

These kindergarten math worksheets are great for a fun Easter themed learning. These math worksheets are great for your kindergarten or grade 1 student. There are 2 counting pages, 2 addition and 2 subtraction pages, 2 patterns. 2 fill in the blanks and 2 ten frame pages as well. They all include fun Easter characters […] The post Easter Math Worksheets – Kindergarten and 1st Grade appeared first on Living Life and Learning.

Have fun with these adorable Easter lacing cards. Practice those eye and hand coordination skills with these free printables for your little one. There are 6 pages of lacing cards that you can print out yourself. The best way is to print them out onto card stock so that they are more sturdy. I also […] The post Easter Lacing Cards appeared first on Living Life and Learning.

My favourite creativity and art blog is undoubtedly The Artful Parent. Jean’s blog is such an inspirational and useful one for parents who like me value creativity and artistic expression within their children. Consequently, I’m stoked to be a part of her blog tour for her new book! We fortunate enough to receive a copy […] The post Celebrating the Seasons with The Artful Year appeared first on Racheous - Lovable Learning.

Our days vary so greatly. I’ve been asked recently more than once to do a sort of day-in-our-life type of blog post. I’d love to but it wouldn’t be very indicative of how our time is spent. Some days could fill a blog post with photos and activities and inspiration in just a morning. Other […] The post Our Days appeared first on Racheous - Lovable Learning.

It’s hard to believe that it’s ‘Back to School’ time already! And for many little ones this may mean their first day starting school! The Story Box Library team remember all too well the apprehension that this milestone can bring for Foundation kids – and their parents! To help, they’ve assembled the most adorable bunch […] The post Starting School with Story Box Library! appeared first on Racheous - Lovable Learning.

I’m getting back into the swing of things after a busy holiday season with Cam’s 5th birthday and lots of time with hubby at home. I thought I’d share this weeks events in photo form – We started the week with a play with friends at Happiness is here‘s house Lucy explored some new […] The post Weekly Recap appeared first on Racheous - Lovable Learning.

We all know that unstructured time in nature is vital for kids and spending time in the backyard is one of the easiest ways to do that. But what resources can you have on hand to get the most out of backyard exploration? Binoculars Binoculars are a must have for nature exploration. The one’s we […] The post Tools for Backyard Exploration appeared first on Racheous - Lovable Learning.

Hello, everyone! I have another “Ask A Homeschooler” question + answer ready today. Mady asks: “So I am a freshman in highschool and I would like to pursue gymnastics. Honestly I just dont like the aspect of all the drama, bullying and stress and I would feel much more safe being home schooled. I have [...]

If you don’t already know, I’m a homeschool graduate. I was public-schooled K-3rd grade, then homeschooled 4th-12th. Thus, I have nine years of homeschooling experience under my belt. Here are my top five reasons for why I loved homeschooling! Learning at my own pace. This had to be one of the biggest reasons I loved [...]

This is all getting serious folks! Our Cascadia Roof Top Tent (Mount Rainier Model) has arrived, and is now on the van. We have been super lucky this week with finding great businesses and people to get this van life started. We purchased the Yakima SwingDaddy and roof bars from Rack Attack, and even saved some money by finding some of the mounting parts on Craigslist. Always check Craigslist first! Then we purchased a tent from Simple Camping Solutions in Vancouver. He not only gave us 5% off of the tent, but came and delivered it right to our door at no extra cost. AWESOME!Of course we were…

Well, if you didn't think we were crazy for ditching our cars, riding bikes, unschooling, and moving 3,000 miles across the country, maybe now you will. HA! As this post title implies in a couple of months that big white van you see pictured above will be our home on wheels. Over the next few weeks we will be figuring out our setup, and getting rid of items we will not need. This process has already started, but now feels real because we have the van. I knew that one day we would own something with a motor again. The only thing I wanted to make sure of was that it either housed us, or that we…

Here is about a week's worth of Gray Family nonsense. Most of these have already been posted on my Instagram. That's why there is a coffee rant along with one of the photos. Feel free to follow the crazy over there if you like. As you can see I am not going the route of everything is so picturesque and lovely over here. Sometimes it's happy chaos. Sometimes it's pure frustration. Sometimes it's survival, ha! And yes, sometimes things are quite beautiful. Anyway, enjoy the photo show haha!Just a normal day with The Grays.I couldn't resist photographing him in this light.Please! Please!

We caught what is probably the last bit of sun yesterday and rode our bikes to the Powell Butte Nature Park. Everyone needed to get out and into nature for a bit. We were going a little stir crazy the last few days. The roundtrip total was about 20 miles. We used the 205 Multi-Use Path and the Springwater Corridor Trail to get there, so the ride was super easy. We were only on neighborhood roads getting to the path itself from our house, and from the path to the main entrance of the park. The only thing is that the main entrance is up a pretty long and too steep to ride up, for us, hill.

IntroductionWhy do we as a society tend to focus so much on measuring things that aren't accurate predictions of a child’s future well-being and success? There are articles in the news nearly every day about the need for more academic rigor, more ways to assess learning, more standardization so no child is left behind. As parents, we have tied our children's academic success with their feelings of self worth, and then hitched that to our own desire to be a successful parent. Note how very little of this treats children as unique individuals with needs and desires…

IntroductionWhy do we as a society tend to focus so much on measuring things that aren't accurate predictions of a child’s future well-being and success? There are articles in the news nearly every day about the need for more academic rigor, more ways to assess learning, more standardization so no child is left behind. As parents, we have tied our children's academic success with their feelings of self worth, and then hitched that to our own desire to be a successful parent. Note how very little of this treats children as unique individuals with needs and desires…

IntroductionWhy do we as a society tend to focus so much on measuring things that aren't accurate predictions of a child’s future well-being and success? There are articles in the news nearly every day about the need for more academic rigor, more ways to assess learning, more standardization so no child is left behind. As parents, we have tied our children's academic success with their feelings of self worth, and then hitched that to our own desire to be a successful parent. Note how very little of this treats children as unique individuals with needs and desires…

Learning gaps are mysterious. We don’t know exactly what they are, but we know we do not want our children to suffer from them. Photo by renjith krishnan Let’s examine this popular education myth and see if it has any veracity.A learning gap is made up of Important Facts without which our children will have no future. We won't know it's there until later in life, when our child suddenly needs to know one of these Important Facts, and they will be unable to function. Their lives will be completely ruined, and they will probably start robbing liquor stores and…

My favorite resources are those that help my kids engage their brains, and World History Detective Book 1 (grades 6-12) from The Critical Thinking Co. is not just about world history, but improving a child's problem solving skills.Description:World History Detective Book 1 is a physical workbook for grade levels 6 through 12, or a refresher course for a college student or adult. It is a very sturdy workbook, with glossy paperback covers and pages that are perforated for removal if that is your preference. It covers Ancient and Medieval World Civilizations.The…

John Adams wrote to his son, John Quincy Adams, soon after the Declaration of Independence, exhorting him to read Thucydides1 as a way to be best prepared for the days ahead of him as a leader. Here is the full letter:2 My dear Son, As the War in which your Country is engaged will probably hereafter […] The post John Adams to his son: Read Thucydides appeared first on The Great Education Struggle.

Go to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website and you will see the incomprehensible: within CPS there are sixty departments. Sixty! 1 As a sidebar (and contrast), how many departments does your home school have? In each how many employees are there? And how much is each employee paid? Or how about something a bit larger: […] The post Chicago’s Communistic Civil Government Schools appeared first on The Great Education Struggle.

An article in last weeks Idaho Press Tribune1 informed its readers some of the elementary schools are no longer sending math “homework” home with their students. Apparently the parents were having a difficult time trying to help their children with their assignments and instead, ended up confusing them. The Parent Teacher Association in each school […] The post Musings from a Citizen appeared first on The Great Education Struggle.

In the previous two posts, I addressed two of the three major actions the federal government has taken that changed the last 150 years of education tradition. These two actions are the implementation of the Common Core Standards (CCSS) and the new interpretation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This week let’s […] The post Three Actions That Changed 150 years of Education Tradition-Part 3 appeared first on The Great Education Struggle.

Last week, I introduced three major actions the Obama administration has done that has fundamentally transformed 150 years of American education tradition. They were the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the application and interpretation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, and the No Child Left Behind Flexibility Waiver. Last week I discussed the […] The post Three Actions That Changed 150 years of Education Tradition-Part 2 appeared first on The Great Education Struggle.